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Crossover

The Chosen One
Trilogy

Book One

Mireille
Chester

Acknowledgents

First
and foremost, I have to thank my husband. Kyle, you encouraged me to
follow my dreams and even gave me a few pushes here and there when I
was sure giving up was the only option.

A
big thanks to Baico Publishing for making my dreams come true when I
first started out.

A
huge thanks to Booktrope for keeping that dream moving forward.

To
my team, I just have to warn you, if I ever meet any of you in
person, you will be hugged to death. Jennifer, Stephanie, Anna, and
Laura, you are all amazing.

For
a friend and fan, Miss Bree, one of the strongest and most amazing
young women I have the pleasure of knowing.

And
for my Sweet, who insists on reading over my shoulder even though he
knows it annoys the hell out of me.

Prologue

It’s
hard to believe that at one point life had seemed dull, boring,
average and uneventful. That was the way I liked it. My life was
routine--one day at a time with no extra fuss. Everything I did was
so uneventful that, for the most part, I didn’t even dream, or at
least I didn’t have any dreams that I could remember. My days
followed a simple rhythm. I got up every Monday morning, took a
shower, ate breakfast, and headed to school. There, I sat and
suffered for eight hours. I was in my first year of classes for
veterinary medicine. Now, don’t get me wrong, I loved my
coursework. The reason I felt like I was suffering was because those
eight hours stood between me and Dodge.

Dodge
was my thirteenth birthday present. He’d been a goofy looking
weanling with long legs and soft eyes. He’d stood looking up at me
from his stall with a big green bow tied around his neck. He was
perfect.

You
see, I’d been riding since I was eight and begging for a horse
since I could talk. Before he’d given me my horse, my dad had told
me I had to prove to him that I was going to stick with it. That
hadn’t been hard to do. I can’t begin to count the arguments
we’ve had about the fact that I spend most of my free time with
Dodge.

Dodge
is now ten and I’m twenty-three. He has grown into a beautiful,
muscular horse and I’m, well, I’m happy with life as it is. Just
me and Dodge. It’s not that I’m not interested in men. I’ve had
one fairly serious relationship that lasted a year and a half. At
least I thought it was serious. When I think back on it now, it’s
hard to believe I’d thought he was the most amazing guy. Well, he
was, until I loaned him my truck for a weekend and found a very nice
pair of lacy underwear that didn’t belong to me under the seat the
next day. They say Canadians are sweet, polite, and will forgive
anything and everything. Yeah. Apparently, I didn’t get the memo.

I’ve
had a few other boyfriends, but most of them didn’t understand why
I’d rather go to the barn on a Friday night instead of going to the
bar. The thought of going out and being paraded around just isn’t
my thing, and I’ll admit that some of it probably has to do with my
personal image of myself. I don’t put myself in the “beautiful
people” category.

My
slightly wavy dark brown hair that falls to the middle of my back is
never done. I prefer ponytails and baseball hats. I also don’t have
the greatest body. At five-foot-four, I’m kind of thin and
seriously lacking curves. Of course, I don’t really dress to
flatter, either. My wardrobe consists of Wranglers, t- shirts, and
tank tops, though I do own one dress. My dad made me buy it for my
cousin’s wedding when I was seventeen. It’s been worn as little
as possible since then. I think my best feature is my eyes. They’re
a deep green with gold and grey specs and long eyelashes. No mascara
for me. Well, no makeup, period. I always end up smearing it because
I forget I’m wearing it.

You’re
probably getting tired of hearing about me, but I need you to
understand one thing before I get on with this story. I’ve always
been a loner, that person who is never comfortable around people.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I like most people, but I’ve always felt
like I didn’t belong. You know, like there was something very
important missing.

Then
one day everything changed. It was a Friday…

Chapter One

The
late afternoon sun was painting the closing hours of the day a
beautiful shade of gold as I drove up to the stables. I watched the
staff bringing in the horses for the night as I pulled into a parking
spot and got out of my truck, and noticed that Dodge was still
standing in his pen, patiently waiting his turn.

“Hey, Hayden!”

I
looked back to the barns and saw Shaynna. Shay was eighteen and was
looking forward to her high school graduation in a few weeks. She was
the kind of girl who was beautiful and knew it, but still didn’t
mind getting a little dirty. Her blond hair was short and spiky, her
eyes blue. She was always done up.

Dodge
saw me making my way toward- him and nickered. He always made me
smile. Shaynna stopped at Macho’s pen and put his halter on. Macho
was stunning; a sleek, black, massive stallion, perfect for show
jumping. He made Dodge look like a pony.

“Should we head to
the bridge, Shay?”

She
smiled. “Sounds like a plan!”

I
tied Dodge to the outside of his stall and grabbed the brushes from
my tack box. When he was groomed and saddled, I went out to meet
Shaynna and Macho in the outside ring where she was talking to her
instructor. She nodded when she saw us coming. Macho ambled over to
the fence.

“Hey,” she said.
“Change of plans. Do you mind if we go to the bridge tomorrow?
Anita is giving an extra lesson today to anyone who wants it, and
with our first show of the season next weekend, I’d like to get as
much practice in as possible.”

“Sure,”
I nodded. “Not a problem. I’ll just do the short trail today.
Maybe the ropers will be here when I get back and I can give them a
hand with the chute. Is Shawn coming tonight?”

She
shook her head. “No. He had to work late.”

I
waved goodbye and turned Dodge towards the trails behind the barns.
The second longest trail was my favorite. It went over an old bridge
and on either side of the river were flat, grassy banks. I loved
packing a book and a bag of chips and just hanging out there while
Dodge ate grass. I didn’t have time for that kind of leisurely ride
today.

I was so lost in my
thoughts that I never noticed that I passed the turnoff for the short
trail until I got to the bridge.

“We
better keep going, Dodge.” I patted his neck. We crossed the
bridge and turned left where the trail forked. “Tomorrow we’ll
take the other one. We’ll have all day to play here.”

I
nudged him into a trot to try to make up for the time we’d lost
taking the longer trail. We hadn’t gone far when I noticed a new
fork in the road.

“That’s
funny. No one said anything about them adding trails...” I was
confused. Although the trail was narrower than the one I was on and
slightly overgrown, it didn’t seem like a new addition. A new trail
would have been clean cut. I was positive that it hadn’t been there
before.

I
turned Dodge left again so that we could start back toward the barns.
He balked and pivoted toward the unexplored trail.

“Come
on, buddy. We’ve got to head back.”

Dodge
remained still, perked up his ears, and looked down the trail. I
followed his gaze and caught my breath. Farther up the trail on the
ridge of a hill a man stood as still as a tree. The sun broke through
the trees and made his dark brown hair gleam like it was on fire. His
shaggy curls rustled in the breeze. What really caught my attention
were his eyes. Even from this distance they bore into mine. Green met
blue and locked. I realized I was lightheaded before I remembered to
breathe.

“Holy shit!” I
whispered.

I blinked as I
inhaled, and when I focused on the top of the hill again he was gone.

I
closed my eyes and shook my head. “Did that just happen?” I asked
Dodge. I was pretty sure it had, though I was known to daydream.
“Probably just a hiker taking advantage of a beautiful day.”

Still, my thoughts
returned to the sudden discovery of the path. It was weird about the
unmarked trail.

Dodge swished his
tail.

“You’re right.
We’d better get going.”

We
picked up a steady canter and made our way to the outside arena.
Shaynna was leading Macho out of the outdoor ring as Dodge and I
slowed to a walk. She waved me over to her.

“How was your
lesson?” I asked.

“Great! I think
we’re ready for next weekend.” She grinned from ear to ear, and
I smiled at her excitement.

“That’s awesome!
You guys will do great.” I dismounted Dodge and walked to the
barn with Shaynna.

“How was your
ride?” she asked.

“Nice.”
I paused. “Say, did you hear anything about a new trail back
there?”

She shook her head.

“Weird.
Maybe I just never noticed it before.”

“Whereabouts?”

“After the bridge,
just past the clearing.”

She
frowned. “I don’t remember one there, either. Are you coming back
tomorrow morning?”

I
nodded. “I’ll be here before ten. Dale is giving a lesson then
and I really want to get some more lead changes practiced with Lena
before the show.” Another reason I spent so much time at the arena
was the horses I was training for other people. Though I did get paid
for the work, I hesitate to call it actual work. I mean, I got to
play with horses all day. Lena was a little three-year-old dun
Quarter horse mare. Her owner wanted her ready as a reiner for the
shows this summer. I was also riding Crush, an old chestnut roping
horse that needed miles put on him to get him back into shape. My
newest student was Rosy. She was a two-year-old Percheron, black as
the night itself. She was going to start under harness Sunday when I
had a bit more time to play.

“I don’t know
how you ever find time to eat with all the horses you have in
training right now,” she teased.

I
grinned. “What can I say?”

“Well, you could
admit that you prefer horses to people.”

I
laughed. “I’ve never kept that a secret.”

She
rolled her eyes. “Ok. I’ll be here just after lunch. I have to
watch my nephew tomorrow morning.”

I
grimaced with her and we laughed. Her five-year-old nephew was a holy
terror. Shay had once compared babysitting him to trying to divert a
tornado bent on destruction. She’d thought bringing him to the
barns one day to see the horses might be a good idea until he’d
disappeared. We’d searched everywhere and Shaynna had been close to
tears, thinking the worst had happened. Thankfully, he’d simply
fallen asleep in the straw bales with some baby kittens he’d found.
That was the last time she had brought him.

We brushed the
horses and bedded them down for the night before stopping at the
cafeteria to grab an iced tea from the pop machine.

Shaynna screamed as
someone jumped from behind the main door, picked her up, and crushed
her against the wall.

“Shawn!”
She giggled and he planted a few quick kisses on her lips. “You
scared the shit out of me!”

He laughed and
pulled away, hooking his arm around her waist.

They’d been dating
for two years. They met when he started hauling his horse in to rope
twice a week.

He
looked more like a sixteen-year-old than a nineteen-year-old. His
carrot-orange hair, freckles, and dark blue eyes nullified any
resemblance his six-foot-two, 230-pound frame had to a man’s.

By
the looks of them, they were an odd couple at best. Shaynna stood in
her breeches and half chaps snuggling against his red t-shirt, her
index finger hooked into the belt loop of his Wranglers. His white
straw cowboy hat hid both their faces as he leaned in for another
kiss.

“I thought you
weren’t coming in tonight!” Shaynna’s face flushed.

“I got out of work
early so I could see you.”

Shaynna
grinned and bumped hips with me. “Want to stay and help with the
ropers?”

I
rolled my eyes and laughed. “Twist my rubber arm.”

We
headed to the indoor arena. Shay and I went to the chute and loaded
the first steer while Shawn went to get his horse, Doc. The next
couple of hours flew by as everyone took turns heeling and heading.

Once
the horses were put away and the steers had been returned to their
pen, we all headed up into the small lounge that overlooked the
arena. Shaynna sat beside me at one of the tables and looked on
lovingly as Shawn got each of us a beer from the fridge.

Her
smile faltered and her eyes narrowed. “Your secret admirer is on
his way.”

I
groaned, not bothering to look up to see who it was.

“Hi, Hayden.”

“Hey, Dave.”

He sat across from
me beside Shawn.

“Aren’t
you a little young to be having a beer?” he asked Shay.

“Aren’t you a
little old to be hitting on Hayden?” she snapped, anger flaring in
her eyes.

Shawn choked on his
swallow of beer. I took a long drink from my bottle and tried not to
laugh.

Dave
ignored her and turned back to me. “So, I was thinking that we
could go to the movies tomorrow night.”

I
was glad I was already busy and didn’t have to make up an excuse. I
was a terrible liar. “Some of the girls and I already have a movie
night planned. Sorry.”

“Oh.
Well, we could meet up afterwards.”

“It’s
an all-nighter. We’re going to Tara’s.” I took another swallow
of beer and considered him. He was handsome. He had deep brown eyes
and dark brown hair that went complemented his dark complexion. The
fact that he was thirty-two didn’t even really bother me. It was
his attitude that turned me right off. To him, women were trophies.
He had confided in me about all his conquests when I was dating his
friend, Chris.. It was backfiring on him now.

I
had to give it to him, though. He was persistent. Persistent to the
point of being harassing if he’d had too much to drink. On more
than one occasion he’d shown up at the same club or dance, gotten
right pickled and tried to bodily haul me out with him. Thankfully, I
never went out alone and we usually had a few guys in the group.
Shawn was not his biggest fan. But instead of telling him he was just
plain unlikeable, I gave him the same excuse I used every other time.
I was way too nice.

“Dave,
I told you. It would be too weird if we hooked up after I was with
Chris for so long.”

He
shrugged and left it at that. I knew I was only staving him off until
next time. He chugged his beer and got up to get another. I breathed
a sigh of relief when he didn’t come back to our table.

“What a jackass,”
muttered Shawn.

I
smiled. “Yeah. That, he is.”

I
finished my beer and stood. “Well, I’d better head home. I’ll
see you tomorrow, Shay.”

“See you!”

I
hopped into the truck and headed home. When I got there, a note from
my parents on the kitchen counter let me know that they had gone out
with some friends and would be home late.

As
I stood in the empty house, I started thinking again about my plans
to get my own apartment this summer. I knew it was going to be a big
adjustment. My best friend, Tara, had offered to let me move in with
her and her boyfriend, Ben. It would have been a lot cheaper to share
costs, but I wanted out of my parent’s place so that I could be
alone. Tara and I had been friends for quite a few years. She had
moved here at the beginning of grade ten, I had been in grade nine.

I
remembered the first time we met. I had been sitting out in the
school yard during lunch. I had my art pad open and was working on a
drawing of a horse jumping over a fence.

“You like horses?”

I
had jumped at the voice coming from behind me. I nodded shyly at the
blonde-haired girl.

“I
have a mare. Her name is Foxy. Do you jump?”

“No.
I rein. I have a little bay named Dodge.”

“Nice!
I rein too. I just moved here. Foxy should get here this weekend.
I’m keeping her at the arena just north of town.”

I
smiled. “That’s where I keep Dodge.”

We had hit it off
immediately and been best friends ever since.

I
headed up to my room, turned on the radio, and settled in at my desk
to work on my most recent drawing of a horse. After staring at my
paper for a good ten minutes, I turned the page on my art pad. My
pencil came to rest on the paper as I tried to figure out what I
wanted to draw. I started with one tree, then another, until soon a
forest was emerging on my page. Through that forest ran a trail, and
at the end of the trail was a hill.

I
stopped. I had never drawn from memory before. I put the pencil back
on the paper on top of the hill. Here my memory failed. I only
remembered his eyes, so blue they matched the sky. The rest was
blank.

Had he been
handsome? I’m pretty sure he hadn’t been naked! I would have
remembered that! So what had he been wearing?

The
intensity of his stare was impossible to get right on paper. I stared
at my sketch a bit longer and decided I wasn’t going to remember
any more details tonight. I slipped into my sweats and a t-shirt and
went to bed

Chapter Two

He
lay with his arms behind his head and looked up into the darkening
sky. A frog croaked to his left. He tensed at the sound, then
chuckled to himself. What was wrong with him, he wondered. He’d
stood at the top of the hill and looked down on the girl, unable to
move. It was her eyes; they were unbelievable. It was like they’d
been peering into his very being. He’d been caught in her gaze,
trapped, the urge to go down to her, overwhelming. But she’d
blinked and he’d been able to regain control of himself, to get off
the path and out of sight.

He’d
heard it could be like that. Getting thrown off balance by a look. He
groaned at the memory. The urge to go to her, to look deeply into
those mesmerizing eyes and watch their reaction if he were to press
his lips against hers.

A
heavy feeling settled on his chest and he stretched to get rid of it.
Maybe he should have gone to see her. What if she didn’t come back?

A
growl made its way up his throat and he shook his head. She’d be
back. If that look had anywhere near the impact on her as it had on
him, she would be back. Stick to the plan, he thought to himself. If
it could really be considered a plan

Chapter Three

I
woke up Saturday morning around seven-thirty, just like every
morning. I could smell coffee brewing downstairs which meant my dad
was up.

“Morning, Hayden.”

“Morning,
Dad.” I popped some raisin bread into the toaster. “How was
poker night?” I asked as I poured myself a cup of coffee and
stirred in some sugar and cream.

“Not
bad. Steve cleaned up as usual,” he chuckled. “But Mom surprised
us and actually won a few hands.”

My
mom poked her head into the kitchen and grinned. “I told you I knew
how to play. I was just letting you guys win!” She gave my dad a
playful shove with her hip as she passed him.

My toast popped up
and I quickly moved them to the counter before they could burn my
fingers.

“I’m
going to the arena for the day. Dale is giving a lesson this morning
and I want to work on lead changes with Lena. She’s giving a bit of
trouble with the left one and I’m hoping he can give me a hand.
Shaynna is going to meet me out there and we’re going to the bridge
for a picnic.”

Dad
nodded. “Sounds good. Will you be home for supper?”

I
shook my head. “We’re all going to Tara’s tonight to watch
movies. If it gets too late, I’ll just crash there.”

“Ok,
honey. Have fun. Let us know if you decide to spend the night.”

I
nodded and started throwing a lunch into a bag. The arrangement I had
with my parents was great. My rent was cheap and as long as they knew
where I was, they really didn’t care what I was doing. Some of my
friends thought it funny that I would phone and let them know if my
plans had changed, but I thought it was the least I could do. After
all, they did let me stay with them, their way of ensuring I wasn’t
a starving university student.

I ran upstairs and
quickly pulled on my Wranglers and a khaki green tank top before I
headed out the door.

“Bye,
Mom. Bye, Dad.”

“Hayden, your cell
phone!” My dad tossed it to me and I clipped it to my belt.

“See ya!”

I
checked the clock on my dash as I started my truck. Nine o’clock.

“Perfect timing.”

I
rolled up to the arena ten minutes later. John, the barn’s manager,
was having coffee in the cafeteria with Carl and Steve, the stable
hands.

“Hey, guys!”

“Hey,
Hayden.” John smiled. He was a short, thick man in his sixties
with a full head of white hair.

“John, do you mind
if I put my lunch in the fridge?”

“Nope.
Go ahead.”

“Thanks.
Is Dale here yet?”

“Not
yet. But he said something about having the lesson outside if it was
nice. Tara and Ben are already out there.”

I
headed to the barn and made my way to Dodge’s stall. I took down
the note I had left for John, asking him to keep Dodge in this
morning.

“Hey,
buddy.” I picked a piece of straw out of his forelock and fed him
a crunchy. Dodge never said no to his favorite cookies. “I’ll be
back after the lesson.”

I
moved on to Lena’s stall and got her ready. Once she was saddled,
we made our way outside to join the other reiners who trained with
Dale.

Tara
was loping a smooth circle at the far end of the arena, her dirty
blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. She looked up and her caramel
colored eyes squinted in the sun. Foxy, her sorrel mare, stopped
quickly when she was asked. Ben was on his gelding, Baldy, a big
brown and white paint with brown eyes that matched Ben’s. Ben ran a
hand through his light brown hair and shook out a pollen fuzz that
had lodged in the strands.

We
waited another ten minutes while four other riders either walked over
from the barn or pulled up with their trailers. By ten o’clock the
lesson was underway and, by noon, we were all perspiring and hungry.

“Ok,
guys, listen up!” Dale rallied the group before dismissing us to
share some final details about next weekend’s show. “Good work
today. I’ll be here at six on Wednesday if you want to get one more
in before next weekend. And remember, we are leaving at four on
Friday so we can get to Carefree Stables early enough to have a quick
lesson before we bed the horses down for the night. Joan, try to make
sure you’re there for that one. It will give Spike some time to get
used to being away from home.”

I
hopped off Lena and loosened her cinch. We headed back to her stall
where she ate her oats while I unsaddled and brushed her. I left her
to relax and bolted the stall door.

“I’ll
be right back,” I told Dodge as I passed his stall to go grab my
lunch. I passed Shaynna as she saddled Macho.

“Meet you
outside,” she said.

I
hurried back to Dodge’s stall, saddled him, and tied on the saddle
bags. He followed me quietly down the aisle and we made our way
outside where I swung on and gave his neck a pat.

We
headed out at a walk, taking our time in the warm afternoon. An hour
later we were at the bridge.

“Man,
I’m starving!” I stripped Dodge’s saddle off and put his
hobbles on so he could wander around and eat grass.

We
were almost done eating when Shaynna’s phone rang. She talked for a
few minutes, a big grin on her face.

“That
was Shawn. He’s in town today and wants to take me out to dinner
and a movie.” She beamed. Was
it really possible to be that happy?
I thought. For her sake, I hoped so. “Do you mind if we start
heading back? I need to take a shower and get ready.”

“Sure.
I want to show you that trail I told you about the other day. Should
I tell Tara you’re ditching on movie night tonight?” I smiled
when she blushed.

“I totally forgot
about that!”

“That’s
ok. I’m sure she’ll understand. Ever since her and Ben have
started dating, she’s been just as annoying as you with this mushy
stuff!”

She
laughed. “You know, Hayden, one of these days you’ll meet a guy
who is more interesting than Dodge.” She frowned. “And who isn’t
a total jackass.” Her frown disappeared and her grin returned.
“When that happens, I will be the first to say I told you so!”

I
laughed with her, but shook my head. “Don’t hold your breath.”

The
horses saddled, we started out past the bridge. We took a left at the
forks and brought the horses to a jog.

“So where’s this
mystery trail of yours?”

“It should be just
up ahead, after the clearing.”

Two
minutes later we were still on the main trail, past the clearing. Ten
minutes later there was still no sign of the trail.

“Hayden,
where’s your phone? I’ve been trying to call you. I have to
cancel for tonight. My pharmacology class is having a study session.
I hope that’s ok.”

“Sure.
No problem. I should really study for finals anyway. Speaking of
that, I still need to borrow your genetics notes from last year.”
Tara was a year ahead of me in the vet med program. “There are a
few classes I know I missed.”

“Ok.
I’ll drop them off at your house when I leave later.”

“Sounds good.”

I handed Shay her
phone back.

I
looked down at my side, expecting my phone to be where I’d clipped
it, but it wasn’t there.

“Hang
on, Shay.” I stopped and hopped off of Dodge and went through my
saddle bags. “Crap.”

“What is it?”

“I
must have dropped my phone by the bridge.” I looked back along the
trail. “Why don’t you just go ahead. I’ll run back and get my
phone. We wouldn’t want you to be late for your date!” I teased
her.

“Are you sure?”

“Go.
I shouldn’t be too far behind you anyway.”

“Ok.
I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Have fun!”

She
smiled and turned Macho back toward the barns while I remounted Dodge
and turned him toward the bridge. “Sorry, buddy. I’ll make it up
to you when we get back. Extra oats and some molasses, promise.”

When
we got to the bridge it took me all of three seconds to find my
phone. It was sitting under the tree where the saddles had been
leaning.

“All
right, Dodge. Let’s head home.” We trotted over the bridge, took
the left fork, and passed through the meadow. Dodge stopped short
almost pitching me over his head.

I
straightened myself in my saddle and looked around to see what had
taken Dodge by surprise. My jaw dropped. The trail was back!

“How
is that even possible?” I had just been here with Shay. I looked
to the top of the hill, thinking he would be waiting, and I was
surprised at how disappointed I was that he wasn’t there.

Dodge took a few
steps forward onto the narrow trail, then stopped and pricked his
ears back at me as if to ask if he should go on.

“Well,
I guess we have a bit of time now. But not too long.” He seemed
happy with that and started forward again.

It
was a beautiful trail and I lost track of time as we wandered down
it. Dodge walked lazily up a hill. Ahead of us, the trees started
thinning and we continued until we found ourselves in a beautiful
meadow. The grass was chest high on Dodge and freckled with flowers
of every color. At the far end was a clear blue creek that ran
downhill.

“Wow!
This is great!” Dodge wasn’t listening. He was too busy chewing
the tips of the grass around him.

I
caught my breath at almost the exact moment Dodge’s head snapped up
to look at the far end of the meadow. There, sitting on a large rock
by the creek, was the man I had seen on the hill.

He
was staring, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if he was deep in
thought. I stared back, unable to do anything else. The meadow
disappeared. All that existed were his eyes. The light-headed feeling
returned and I reminded myself to breathe. I inhaled slowly, not
wanting him to disappear like yesterday.

Dodge
took a few steps forward and the man tensed. I tore my eyes away from
his and took note of his features which had escaped my memory the
previous day. His face was beautiful. A strong jaw, high cheek bones,
slightly slanted eyes and a nose that showed evidence of having been
broken at one point were all surrounded by messy, dark brown curls
and a couple days’ stubble. He was wearing khaki colored pants and
a white cotton shirt that seemed to cling to his arms and torso as
the breeze blew it against his body.

He
stood in one fluid motion, the movement so fast I expected him to
dash away. Instead, he walked over slowly, seeming unsure of himself.

“Hello.”

My
heart fluttered. His voice was unbelievable. It was what I imagined
when I read a book and the author described the leading man’s
voice. Deep, smooth, and with a hint of an accent. Was
that Scottish?
Shivers went down my back.

He
smiled. “Are you alright?”

I
blinked and blushed. “I’m fine. I’m just surprised to see
anyone out here.”

His
grin widened and he walked closer, putting a hand on Dodge’s nose.
“Nice horse.”

“Thanks.
His name is Dodge.”

He
stroked Dodge’s face, staring intently at him. After a brief moment
he nodded, the movement so small I wasn’t sure I’d seen it. He
looked up at me.

“I’m Jasper.”

“I’m
Hayden.” I blushed. Again. “Do you do a lot of hiking?”

He frowned.

“I
just thought, you know. This is the second time I’ve seen you on
the trails in two days and there isn’t much out here...” My voice
trailed off as his eyes bore into mine. I forgot what I was saying.

He
smiled. “I love hiking. It gives me time to think.”

“So, are there any
nice spots around here for that?” I wanted to keep him talking so
he wouldn’t say he had to go.

“There’s
a little waterfall just few minutes away. Would you like to see it?”

I
glanced at my watch. Three
o’clock.
I
still have plenty of time before I have to get back. His
eyes caught mine and his head tilted in question. Oh,
man. Yep. I’m doing this. What is it about those eyes? I
nodded. He started leading the way and I followed on Dodge. A little
voice in the back of my head tried to talk some sense into me.

What are you
thinking? Are you sure you should go deeper into the woods with this
strange man?

“How old are you?”
I asked, trying to shut out the little voice.

“Twenty-eight.
You?”

“Twenty-three.”

He
looked back at me and smiled. “Almost there.” We’d taken
another, smaller trail by the creek and as we moved further along the
sound of the waterfall reached my ears.

“Oh! Wow! It’s
beautiful!”

The
waterfall wasn’t big, but it was clear, and the water shone like
diamonds where the sunlight hit it. A perfect white sand beach
surrounded the small pond at the base of the waterfall.

“You
like it?” Jasper asked. He seemed pleased.

“I love it!” I
dismounted Dodge and walked to the water’s edge.

Jasper was looking
at Dodge again and I saw him shake his head.

“What’s wrong?”
I asked him.

He
looked at me, surprised. “Nothing. Just thinking.” He sat on the
sand and patted the ground beside him.

“I
don’t think I have time.” I looked at my watch. Three o’clock.
Wasn’t
it three o’clock when we headed toward the waterfall? “Hey,
do you have the time? I think my watch is broken.”

“No.
Sorry.”

I
pulled my cell phone out and looked at the time on the screen. Three
o’clock.

“That’s
strange.” I muttered.

“What is?” He
looked up at me from the ground.

“When
I checked the time a little while ago it was three o’clock. Now
both my watch and my cell phone still say three o’clock.”

He
shrugged. “Maybe you read it wrong the first time.”

“Maybe,
but I don’t think so.” I looked at him and decided I wasn’t
quite ready to leave.

He
smiled as I sat. “So, Hayden. What else do you do besides ride
trails?”

I
glanced at him, wondering just how much information I should give
him. “Well, I’m studying to be a vet. Other than that, there’s
not much to tell. You?”

He
seemed surprised that I was interested. “Um...well. I’m in the
army.”

I
grinned. “I thought of joining when I was younger. We had a career
day in high school and all these different universities, colleges,
and professions had booths set up. It was a toss-up between the army
and the police force.” I laughed. “But I’ve always liked
animals better than people.”

He
chuckled.

“What made you
chose the army?” I asked.

Jasper
picked a small rock from beside him and tossed it into the pond. “I
was born into it. My whole family is military. I suppose it never
occurred to me to do anything else.”

A
bird chirped overhead and I glanced up. A flock of birds was settled
on several branches in the trees. “I’ve never seen that many
bluebirds together,” I remarked. Jasper glanced up. “I’ve never
really noticed.” He shook his head again.

“Are you ok?”

He
nodded and stood, his eyes burning into mine. What
was it about those eyes?
He offered me his hand to help me up and I took it.

“Well, I better
get going.” I contradicted myself by standing still, my hand still
in his.

He
smiled, but didn’t seem extremely cheerful. “Alright. Will you
come back?”

I
grinned stupidly at the question. “Are you camping in the area? How
long will you be out here?”

He
shrugged. “I’m not sure. A few more days, for sure.”

I
nodded. “Ok. I’ll come back tomorrow.”

His
smile lit up his whole face.

Dodge
stomped a foot and I forced my gaze away from his. “Alright, buddy.
Let’s head home.” I pulled my hand out of his reluctantly and
swung into the saddle. “What time should I come?” I looked down
at Jasper’s hand on my knee, surprised by the gesture, but oddly
not uncomfortable with it.

He
laughed. “Whenever. I’m not really on a schedule here. I’ll
find you.”

I
nodded. “Ok. It will probably be after lunch.”

We
stood still, unable to look away from each other.

Dodge
snorted and Jasper blinked.

“See you
tomorrow,” he said softly before turning and disappearing into the
woods.

I
looked after him for a minute then shook my head. “You probably
just made a date with a serial killer, Hayden,” I muttered.

Dodge shook out his
mane.

“Alright,
bud. Home time.”

We
set off at a trot and as we stepped back onto the main trail back to
the barn I looked back to the top of the hill. My heart jumped in my
chest and I frowned. Had he been there watching? I could have sworn
I’d seen him standing up there. Impossible. There’s
no way he could have kept up with Dodge.
I laughed at myself. It was time to dial down my imagination.

By
the time I got back to the stables, all the horses were in the barn
and having their supper. I gave Dodge an extra scoop of oats and
added some molasses like I’d promised him.

“Good
night, buddy. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He nuzzled my face
and went back to his oats.

I waved at everyone
in the cafeteria, got into my truck, and made my way home.

“Hey, honey.”
My mom gave me a quick kiss as I walked through the door.

“Hey, Mom.”

She
picked up a couple of binders from the couch and handed them to me.
“Tara dropped these off for you.”

“Thanks.”
I smiled at her. I’d always thought my mom was the most beautiful
woman alive. She had long blond hair and green eyes, though not the
same green as mine. Hers were more of an aqua color. She was also
tall, a good four inches taller than me. She made a great match for
my dad who was six -foot-five. His blond hair was slowly turning
silver, but his grey eyes weren’t losing any of their sparkle.
Sometimes I wondered what my real parents had looked like, but I
wasn’t really interested in actually finding out. As far as I was
concerned, these two were my parents. Someone had definitely been
watching over me the day my adoption papers had been signed.

“Did you eat?
Tara told me you guys had to cancel, so I made enough for you.”

“’kay.” I
made my way upstairs and settled myself at my desk with my genetics
notes spread before me.

I
stared at the papers for a good half hour before I realized that the
only thing on my mind was Jasper. I rolled my eyes. Giddy. I felt
giddy and shy and I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

You
think you might be a bit old for a high school crush?
I shook my head. But
he is gorgeous. Good god, those eyes!

I laughed, decided I
was hungry after all, and managed to have supper and concentrate on
some studying.

As I lay in bed that
night, though, my covers pulled up to my chin, I fell asleep thinking
of Jasper.

Chapter Four

It
was impossible to fall asleep. Jasper rolled over onto his stomach
and laid his head on his crossed forearms. He remembered the feel of
her hand in his, the way her thumb had rubbed his. He’d loved how
she had blushed when he had looked back at her and smiled. It had
taken every ounce of strength he had to let her walk away.

You
have your orders, man.
He growled. He was finding it harder and harder to follow those
orders.

He
looked up at the rustling of the leaves in the bushes ahead of him. A
small grey rabbit made its way into the open, then bolted at the
sight of him.

He
shrugged and stood with a stretch. Since he wasn’t able to sleep,
he might as well go hunting.

Chapter Five

The following
morning I hurried through my morning routine. Dad looked up in
surprise from his seat at the dining room table as I ran down the
stairs and threw together a lunch.

“I’ll be gone
all day, Dad! I’ll let you know about supper.” I gave him a
quick kiss and ran to the entrance.

“What was that all
about?” I heard my mom asking as I shut the door.

I
jumped into my truck and made my way out of town. My heart was
beating wildly. I thought of Jasper’s eyes and smiled. It had been
a while since I had felt anything like this, or let myself feel
anything like this. Maybe it was because he was a stranger. I was
pretty sure he wasn’t from around here. Maybe deep down I thought a
couple days of fun would be safer than getting attached to someone
again, only to have him hurt me.

I
pulled up to the arena and glanced to the pens. Dodge was already
outside. He perked his ears when he saw me heading toward him.

“Hey, buddy.” I
put his halter on and led him to the barns.

“I
brought my books so I can study,” I told with him as I saddled him.
“I told Jasper I’d meet him after lunch, and I have no clue where
his campsite is, so I thought the two of us could go hang out at that
little waterfall for the morning.”

Dodge snorted.

I
went back to the truck and grabbed my lunch, some blankets to sit on,
and my backpack full of books. I stopped by Dodge’s stall to grab
my sweater from the tack box. I put that and my lunch into the
saddlebags, rolled the blankets and tied them behind my saddle, and
pulled on my backpack.

“Alright.
Let’s go.”

I
glanced around outside as I swung into the saddle. There was no one
around and I exhaled with relief. The thought of having someone else
along for the ride today made me anxious. Thankfully, I wasn’t
going to have to tell anyone that I didn’t want company. I was sure
it wouldn’t have gone over well.

I imagined the
conversation in my head.

“Hey, Hayden,
mind if we tag along?”

“As
a matter of fact, girls, I do. I’m on my way to meet a gorgeous
stranger out in the middle of nowhere and no one will be able to hear
me scream for help when he turns out to be a serial killer.”

I
laughed.
I could always try to defend myself with my hoof pick.

“Ok, Dodge.”

I
turned his head toward the trail and silently wondered if the mystery
trail would be there today. My stomach stayed in knots over the
thought until we passed the clearing. I took a deep breath and
smiled. It was there. Dodge seemed to know that was where we were
headed and made his way up the hill with no direction from me.

I
was amazed once again at how beautiful the meadow was when we reached
it. I guided Dodge to the smaller trail by the creek and inhaled
deeply to calm the butterflies in my stomach.

“Man.
And to think this place has been here all this time and I never knew
about it.”

Dodge stopped by the
pond and waited patiently as I took everything off of him.

“Shit.”

Dodge stopped
drinking and looked at me.

“I
forgot your hobbles. I put them with Rosie’s harness, thinking I
was going to work her this morning.”

He shook his head
and went back to drinking.

“I’ll
just put your halter on. No funny business, mister.”

I
could never remember a time when Dodge had ever wandered away from me
and was fairly sure he wouldn’t, but didn’t think that testing
the theory this far out in the woods was a good idea. At least this
way I could grab the lead rope if he got a bit too far away.

I unrolled one of
the blankets and spread it out over the sand then settled on my
stomach with one of my notebooks.

I read all of the
headings then skimmed over the main points, muttering definitions and
answers to questions.

“Live
vaccines... killed vaccines...” I took a break after the vaccines
to grab an apple out of the saddle bags. I took a bite and chewed
thoughtfully.

“Intravenous...into
the vein. Intramuscular...into the muscle. Subcutaneous....under the
skin.”

I
smiled as I studied and lost myself in the definitions. Pharmacology
was one of my favorite classes.

I
glanced up to make sure Dodge was still close enough to catch. My
heart jumped in my throat and I screamed in surprise.

Jasper
laughed as he stepped away from the tree he had been leaning on and
came towards me. “Sorry. You were concentrating so hard I didn’t
want to bother you.”

I
glared at him and tried to get my heartbeats to slow down. “How
long have you been standing there?”

“Studying.
I have finals this week.” I laid my head down on my arms and eased
the tension in my shoulders. “What time is it?”

“It’s after
lunch.”

My
stomach growled. “Hmm. So it would seem. Did you eat? I brought a
lunch.”

He
shook his head. “I was fishing and lost track of time. Do you like
fish?”

“I love fish.”

He
grinned. “I’ll make lunch. You can study some more if you want.”
He wandered into the woods and came back out with sticks and some
bigger dead branches.

“There’s a
lighter in my saddlebags if you need one.”

He
shook his head and pulled two stones out of his pocket. I watched in
amazement as he struck the stones together and a spark flew toward
the sticks and dead grass he’d bunched under them. It took three
more tries, but he soon had a fair-sized fire going.

“When you go
camping, you really go camping!”

Jasper
looked up and smiled and I had to catch my breath. He went back into
the woods and reappeared with a handful of long green branches and a
fish. After tying the branches together he placed the fish on top of
them and held it over the flames. I watched every move he made,
mesmerized.

He
glanced sideways at me and I blushed with the embarrassment of being
caught staring. He held my gaze with his and I saw him take a deep
breath. He blinked and turned back to the fish.

“All done.”

I
moved my books out of the way to make room. He held the sticks up in
the air for a few minutes to let them cool down then set them on the
blanket.

“That
smells great!” I reached into my saddlebags and pulled out the
cheese and bread I had brought along.

Dodge
gave a loud sigh from his sunny spot, his eyes half closed. We were
quiet as we ate. I concentrated on the food and picking the bones out
of the fish so I wouldn’t get caught staring again.

Something moved in
the bushes to our right and made me jump.

Jasper bolted to his
feet, the movement so quick I wasn’t sure he had been sitting at
all.

Everything
happened at once. Dodge stepped in front of me just as Jasper looked
my way, his blue eyes narrowed with indecision. He seemed to make up
his mind just as quickly and ran toward where the noise had been, a
growl erupting from his throat.

My
heart dropped and the blood drained from my face. Jasper’s body
blurred as he ran, then morphed into a tiger just as he jumped over
the bush. The tiger collided with something I couldn’t see and the
sound of animals fighting made my throat tighten.

Dodge
pushed his shoulder into me but I was frozen in place. A yelp pierced
the air and a grey wolf streaked through the clearing before it
jumped over the creek.

I noticed blood on
his hip as he flashed into the bushes.

Dodge
stepped on my foot and the pain broke the trance I was in. “Jasper!”
I ran toward the bushes and stopped short when I came face to face
with the tiger. It stood there, motionless, staring at me. Its eyes
were the same perfect sky blue as Jasper’s. Its shoulder twitched,
making me glance at its side.

“You’re
bleeding.” I wasn’t sure what to do. Part of me wanted to go to
it and see if I could help. The other part wanted to run away,
screaming.

It
seemed to sense my indecision and lay on its side. Mustering all the
courage I had, I squatted down beside it and gently touched where the
wolf had bitten it. I exhaled with relief. “These aren’t deep at
all. I’ll be right back.”

I ran to Dodge and
pulled my sweater out of the saddle bags then went to the creek to
wet it.

I
knelt beside the tiger and cautiously wiped the bite clean. It lift
its head and looked at me.

“This
has to be a dream,” I said out loud, not sure if I was talking to
myself or to the tiger. “I must have fallen asleep studying.” I
nodded, glad with this reasoning.

The
big cat closed its eyes and lay its head on my lap. Without thinking
I ran my fingers through its fur. It started to purr.

I
started to laugh. “This is too much,” I muttered to it.

The tiger stood and
walked away.

“Wait! Where are
you going?”

It
kept walking until it was hidden by the bushes. All I could do was
stand and stare. Why did I suddenly feel all alone? I felt like
crying. Maybe it was just the stress of this weird dream, but I
didn’t want the tiger to leave. I wanted Jasper to come back.

As
if reading my thoughts, he reappeared from behind the bushes.

“Jasper!”

His
eyes opened wide as I ran, threw myself into his arms, and broke
down, my tears soaking into his shirt. His arms were unbelievably
strong as they held me up and he placed his cheek on top of my head.

“Shhh…”

“Wha...wha...what
was...that?” I sobbed into his chest.

He simply smoothed
my hair and held me until my sobs had stopped.

“This can’t be
real,” I whispered.

“I’m
so sorry.” His voice was quiet. He held my face gently in his
hands. “Are you alright?”

I
gazed into his eyes and nodded weakly. We stayed like that for a
minute, looking at each other. He looked away first and turned his
focus to Dodge.

“Do you think?”
he seemed to ask my horse.

I
frowned. “I didn’t say anything.”

He
looked back down at me and was quiet for a moment. “Alright. Let’s
go.”

“What?
Where?” I started to panic. I began to think coming here had been
a bad idea.

“I’ll explain on
the way.” He took my hand and started leading me to Dodge.

“Wait!
I...I have to get home. My mom and dad will think something happened
to me!”

I
looked at my watch and then my phone. Ten o’clock. AM. “What’s
going on!” I pulled my hand free of his and stopped walking.

He
kept walking toward Dodge. “She doesn’t want to go. I can’t
make her.” He stuffed my sweater back into my saddlebags and
saddled him for me. He went back to the blanket and rolled it up
before tying it where it belonged. His eyes widened and he looked at
Dodge. “Yes, those are my orders.”

The
surprised look turned into a glare. “No. I can’t.”

There
was a pause. “I don’t know why.” He shrugged.

I
noticed that his shoulder was bleeding. “You should put some
pressure on your shoulder,” I mumbled.

Jasper
turned to look at me then back down at his shoulder. “I’m fine.”
His attention returned to my horse and he nodded. “Why don’t you
get on Dodge and I’ll take you back to the main trail.” His
shoulders sagged and I wondered why he looked so defeated.

“But...
I... You...” My head started to spin and I sat on the ground,
trying to settle my breathing. “Wake up,” I whispered. “Wake
up, wake up.”

I
heard him sit in front of me. “What part of this seems like a
dream?” he asked softly and took my hands in his.

“All of it.”

Chapter Six

He
moved both of my hands to one of his and used the other one to brush
some stray hairs back behind my ear.

I inhaled deeply and
slowly opened my eyes.

“Ask
away,” he said, keeping his eyes locked on mine. He frowned.
“Wait.” He turned to Dodge. “No. She needs to know. She’s
about to have a meltdown.”

I
started to object to that comment and stopped. He was right. I was
having a meltdown. I was imagining that this absolutely gorgeous man
sitting across from me was arguing with my horse about my sanity. I
didn’t know if I should laugh or cry, so I did both. It came out as
a snort.

Jasper
seemed about to say something so I held up a finger to stop him. I
started with the obvious.

“Am I awake?”

He smiled. “Yes.”

“Is my watch
broken?”

“No.
Things from there don’t work here.”

“Where is here?”

“Quelondain.”

I
paused and took a deep breath. “Did you turn into a tiger?”

“Yes.”

I
looked into his eyes, trying to find any indication that he was
lying, joking. “How?”

“I
am one of the Namael. We are able to change our shape.”

“You can turn into
anything?” This was ridiculous.

He
shook his head. “No. I turn into a tiger. That’s it.”

“You talk to
Dodge.”

“And
he talks to me. I can hear his thoughts. But I can’t do that with
all animals.”

“What is he
thinking now?”

“He
is not pleased. It is not my place to explain things to you. My
orders are to find you and get you to Queen Melana.”

“How does he know
all of this?”

“He
is one of your guardians. He is from here.”

“Does he change
into a human?”

Jasper
laughed. “No. He is just a horse.”

Dodge
stomped his foot. Jasper laughed even harder and looked at him. “Oh,
don’t be so sensitive! I didn’t mean it like that.” He turned
back to me. “Anything else?”

I looked into his
eyes for a moment, my train of thought slipping away even as my mind
exploded with questions.

Dodge and Jasper’s
heads snapped up to look at the other side of the clearing.

“A
pack!” Jasper growled. In a flash, he was on his feet. He picked
me up and threw me into the saddle. “Go!” he yelled at Dodge.
“I’ll meet you in the blue woods!”

Dodge spun and
galloped off past the waterfall and deeper into the forest.

I
couldn’t think; only years of riding were keeping me in the saddle.
I held the reins but didn’t used them. Dodge seemed to know where
he was going. Behind us, I heard a deep growl and some excited barks.

Dodge ran for all he
was worth and, soon, sounds of the fight faded away.

I
let Dodge have his head and he continued at a speed I had never
thought possible of him. Just when I thought he might drop from
exhaustion, he slowed to an easy lope but kept heading deeper into
the woods. We crested a hill and I caught my breath at the sight.

Jasper
hadn’t been kidding. Atop the ridge, I found myself looking at a
forest made up of blue tinged trees. I had almost managed to convince
myself it was trick of the light when a flash of orange and black
streaked through the trees to our left.

My
heart jumped into my throat. Was it normal to feel this happy at the
sight of a tiger? I wasn’t sure, but I thought that in these
circumstances, it was possible. One tiger seemed a lot safer than a
whole pack of whatever was behind us.

Dodge
slowed to a jog and we entered a field. Jasper slipped behind the
cover of the blue trees and reappeared as himself.

“Are you alright?”
His eyes searched my face for an answer.

I
nodded weakly.

“Let’s
stop here for a bit. Dodge looks like he needs to cool down.” He
laughed and gave my horse a playful punch to the shoulder, though his
breathing was just as labored. That sounded good to me. I needed a
drink and some time to think before anything else happened. When I
felt I could trust my legs, I dismounted and walked to the saddlebag
where I had stored some water bottles and other supplies.